Field
Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of ball games and more particularly to embodiments for a laser distance comparator having controls for comparative distance measurement to competition balls and a display for results of the comparison including nearest ball identification.
Background
Games which employ a reference ball and competition balls thrown or rolled to rest as closely as possible to the reference ball are highly popular. Bocce, Petanque and lawn bowling all employ this basic premise. In many cases visually estimated measurement of the resulting spread of competition balls from the reference ball to determine the closest ball or balls may be difficult and as competition increases, the need for accurate measurement becomes very important. Of key concerns are obtaining accurate measurements without moving the reference ball during the measurements and determining which competition ball is the “winning” ball closest to the reference ball.
Measuring devices such as string, telescoping rods, measuring tape, and lasers are commonly used to determine positions of competition balls relative to the reference ball in order to award points. These methods require that one end of the measuring device be placed extremely close to the horizontal edge of the reference hall without touching the ball. It is not uncommon to accidentally move the reference ball thus invalidating subsequent measurements and creating a disputable situation. Additionally, the accuracy of such devices may be insufficient in high level games.
Immediately after measuring a first competition ball, the measuring device must then be physically repositioned in order to measure a second competition ban This repositioning may alter or affect the accuracy of the measurements.
It is therefore desirable to provide a highly accurate distance comparator for placement over the reference ball without contacting or moving the reference ball which provides high accuracy of measurement from the reference ball to multiple competition balls.